Kill Switch
by Hakkari
Summary: "Why… Shepard? You don't understand…" She spat blood onto the floor. "We're done here, Harbinger." An alternate ending to Mass Effect 3, still featuring the Crucible and a boss battle with Harbinger. Includes an epilogue. R&R. One-shot.


"So… the Crucible…? It doesn't…?" She was gasping for air, blood seeping from her wounds. The AI stared up at her, a little smirk forming on his starry face.

"You may be the first of any race to reach it to this point, Commander, but no. Getting lucky doesn't mean you get a special Reaper 'off' switch. It does, however, give you a chance to prove that my solution will no longer work."

She hissed in pain, clutching at her side. The Illusive Man had taken a shot at her while holding her under control. It hurt like a bitch. "What does it do, then? They said… they said it would stop the Reapers…"

"Well, it does. No one lied about that." He looked at his fingernails, shrugging his shoulders. The AI was a cocky bastard, and Shepard had no time for it.

"Stop dancing around the question. _What does it do?_" The child sighed, rolling his eyes.

"_You _are no fun, you know that? I have been sitting here since my creation, waiting for someone to find me. Someone to prove that my solution wouldn't work. Can't I have a little bit of fun?"

"With every second of _fun_ you have, millions of people die. Just tell me what the hell this thing does and how I activate it."

The Catalyst sighed again. Shepard bristled. She was really getting sick of that noise. "Fine. Like they say, it _stops_ the Reapers. It will freeze them for a few… what do you humans call them? '_Hours'_. You'll have three Earth hours before they reactivate. The Reapers aren't the only things that will freeze, however."

"Explain."

"_All_ Artificial Intelligence will freeze. The geth, the one that you call EDI… while the Reapers are frozen, they will be too. The suited ones and anyone with artificial parts will feel the effect as well, though they will not be frozen. I assume it will be inconvenient for you. You are part machine, after all." He grinned.

Shepard growled. "But… how will that stop the Reapers… three hours isn't enough to wipe them all out, especially without the help of the geth. How…?"

"Giving you all the answers wouldn't be any fun for me, would it? I'll give you a hint though, see if you've done your homework. This failsafe has been in place since the very first Reaper was created. It's also only able to be activated from the _inside_. The outside is practically invulnerable, and even if it's destroyed, well, it won't work."

"The first Reaper…? Wait, it's inside a Reaper, isn't it?"

The Catalyst grinned. "I've given you more than enough to solve this, Shepard. Call your ship, and I'll activate the Crucible."

"How do I know you're not lying?"

He shrugged. "You have absolutely no reason to trust me. I'm not a Reaper, of course, but I doubt that wins me many points. However, I don't gain anything from the whole 'reaping' process. I'm only doing my job, what my programming told me to do. The fact that you made it up here means that my process is no longer working. Why would I lie when my entire being and purpose are under fire? If you can make it up here, anyone in the future can."

Shepard sighed. "I have no choice, do I?"

A smirk crawled across his face. "No, you don't."

She turned away. "Joker, I need evac from the top of the Citadel as soon as possible. Whatever your orders are, I need you to disobey them and get the Normandy up here _now_."

"_Aye, Commander." _

The Catalyst smiled. It actually looked sincere, though she was still wary. "Your time starts now. Good luck… Commander." He vanished, and the Crucible began to rumble. A beam of light shot from the Citadel, blazing across the sky in a bubble of red.

The Normandy appeared above her as the bubble spread. She watched as Reapers suddenly froze in place, their optics shifting in confusion. In her ear Joker swore.

"_Commander, EDI's stopped responding. So have the geth, apparently. Docking now, though we'd better make this pickup speedy." _The Citadel was creaking, metal bending around her as the Crucible continued to fire. She hobbled towards the ship, gratefully taking Garrus's hand as the cockpit doors flew open.

"You look like hell, Shepard." The turian hummed in concern, his mandibles twitching.

"We don't have time… The Reapers aren't down for good. We don't have long before they… before they turn back on." She stumbled, falling onto Garrus's shoulder.

He pulled her over his back, supporting her as she was dragged back onto the ship. From the edge of her vision she could see Joker gently tapping EDI's body, trying to get her to respond. "She's not dead, Joker. Just… stunned. It was part of what the Crucible did."

"It didn't kill the Reapers?" She shook her head. "Damn. What do we have to do?"

"Find Harbinger. He's the first Reaper, right? The… the Catalyst said that the key to destroying the Reapers had been implemented with the first one." Garrus frowned as best he could.

"Isn't the Citadel the Catalyst? How did the _Citadel_ tell you…?"

She shook her head again. "Too long of a story… how's Tali?" Shepard was beginning to feel the effects of the Crucible. It hadn't immobilized her, but her parts were starting to heat up. It burned, making the pain even more unbearable.

"She was just up her, clutching her side. She said that her implants were hurting, so we sent her down to see Dr. Chakwas. I think she's down for the count, Shepard. She isn't leaving the ship as long as she's in that state."

"What about you, Garrus?"

He hummed. "The implants Cerberus put in me are stinging, but I can still fight, Shepard. How are _you?_"

"It doesn't matter. Joker, we need to find Harbinger _now_. We only have three hours before the Reapers reactivate."

The pilot snapped to attention. "Shit. Alright, Commander. I hope you know what you're doing; the Admiral's been barking at me ever since we broke from the battle."

"Get rid of the channel if you have to. If we don't get to Harbinger now we might as well just roll over and let the Reapers take us."

"Aye, Commander. He shouldn't be too hard to find… Last time we saw him he was travelling over London. He can't be far from there now."

Garrus released Shepard from his shoulder, steadying her as she uneasily wobbled. "How long will it take to find him?"

"An hour or so? Maybe less."

"Get going, then. I'm going to go down and see Dr. Chakwas. I doubt medigel will help me too much, but if she could just patch me up…" The stinging was becoming unbearable. She was going to pass out if the bleeding didn't at least stop.

Joker saluted before returning to his station. He moved the Normandy away quickly, heading down into Earth's atmosphere. Garrus followed Shepard as she moved down the hall. "I don't need an escort, Garrus. I'll be fine."

"Shepard, when we lost contact with you after Harbinger's beam hit… I thought you had died and gone to the bar without me. You're crazy if you think I'd let you die in the Normandy's elevator." She chuckled slightly, leaning against the back of the lift. Garrus pressed the button to go to the crew floor.

When they entered the medical office, the first thing Shepard noticed was Tali writhing on one of the cots. "Tali…" The quarian looking up, letting out a cry of pain as she moved too quickly.

"Shepard… you're alive? I… I thought you were dead… The beam…" She whimpered in pain, but her eyes burned brightly through her visor. "Are the Reapers gone?"

"Not yet, Tali. Almost, though… we're so close." She seemed to lighten up, her eyes widening.

"Good. If you're going to have to go out and fight again… I won't be able to go, Shepard. But I want you to burn one of those bosh'tets for me, okay?" Shepard nodded, biting her lip. The quarian shivered.

"Tali, I thought I told you no movement until… Commander!" Dr. Chakwas stared at Shepard, who offered a quick smile. "I'll be with you in a second… I don't know if we have enough medigel for all your wounds though…"

"Take care of Tali first. I can wait, she can't."

The doctor shook her head. "I'll only be a second. I don't know how to fix her implants, so I'm just giving her painkillers for now. I'm grateful that Professor Solus left so much medicine behind, otherwise I wouldn't have the right supplies… The Alliance doesn't really stock anything for dextro-based species… Drink this, Tali." She placed a small bottle into the quarian's hands, sticking a straw into the top.

With Tali taken care of, the doctor turned her attention to Shepard. "Now, let's see what we can do for you…" She sat Shepard down on the cot next to Tali before running to the medigel dispenser. "This will probably hurt a little, Commander."

Shepard hissed as Dr. Chakwas plastered the medigel on her wounds. The bleeding immediately ceased, and the pain of her burns eased. "Thanks, Doctor."

"It's not a permanent fix, Commander. You'll have to take it easy for a couple of weeks in order to even slightly heal." Garrus snorted.

"It's not over yet, is it Commander?" The commander shook her head. "I see… Well, whenever it is done, I'll be here to fix you up, you know?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Karin." The older woman gave a sad smile before patting her on the shoulder.

"_Dr. Chakwas, is the Commander with you? We've located Harbinger. He's giving us a nasty look for a frozen Reaper." _

Shepard grunted, lifting herself off the cot. "That's my cue. Keep an eye on Tali for me, Doctor."

"Commander… good luck."

** T**

Harbinger had looked massive from far away, but only up close did Shepard realize how massive the Reaper was. His body still twitched, though it couldn't move enough to catch the Normandy as it flew underneath him. The door to his inner workings was wide open, just waiting for Shepard to enter.

"So we can't bomb him from the outside? Cause we could easily just destroy him from here, Commander." Joker looked up at her, his brow creased in concern. She shook her head.

"No. It wouldn't work, anyway. We have to find the kill switch on the inside." He breathed out of his nose.

"And you're sure you want to go in alone?" She looked at the looming beast before nodding.

"Yeah. If we start running out of time, I need a backup. Garrus can run in if I fail. If that still doesn't work, send in Kaidan. If he fails, send in Liara. And if _that_ doesn't work…"

"Send Vega?"

"I was thinking to send in Traynor, since Vega knows shit about technology. But yeah, James is a last resort. Don't even think about asking Tali unless we run out of all possible options."

"You're not going to fail, Commander."

She offered the pilot an uneasy grin. "Well, no matter what happens, it's been an honor, Joker. I would tell the others, but I think that it would undermine that speech I told on Earth."

"I heard it was a pretty kickass speech, Commander." He paused, then looked up at her. "It's been an honor, too, but I'd much rather you come out of this alive."

Shepard snorted. "Well, yeah, me too. But if that's not an option, then I just wanted to get all the goodbyes over with."

Joker only glanced at her, not responding. "We're here. Good luck, Commander."

She nodded, putting on her helmet before leaping onto the doors. Harbinger rumbled as she entered the first hallway.

"_Of course it had to be you, Shepard."_ His voice drove through her head like a stake, and she grimaced. Her implants seemed to shiver with his voice.

"I was hoping you'd be silent, since you're supposed to be deactivated." She continued moving, keeping thoughts of her crew and everyone she was fighting for at the front of her mind.

"_Immobilized. Not deactivated. Obviously you've spoken with the Catalyst. You managed to fire the Crucible, too. Well done." _His voice dripped with contempt.

"Thanks. That means a lot, really." His whispers were starting to enter her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to drive them from her mind.

"_You cannot win, Shepard. No matter what it says. The kill switch is not here." _Harbinger's voice was far more enticing than Sovereign's. She was so tempted to believe him, so tempted to turn around and give up.

"Why are you telling me that if it's not true, Harbinger? I know your game, Reaper. If it wasn't actually here you wouldn't be telling me that it wasn't. You know I only have a few hours; you'd have me waste as much time as possible." She crawled over a wall of pipes, quickly drawing her gun as three husks leaped from the walls. They screamed as she took off their legs.

He growled. _"You think you're clever, Shepard. You are only a human. You will fall to my will or die screaming in pain."_

"Neither option sounds particularly fun to me, so I'll pass." She ducked behind a wall as a Banshee wailed. The monster teleported behind her, slicing at her armor. Shepard's shields fell, and she quickly fired a shot from her pistol through the creature's stomach. It let out another gargling wail before collapsing. For good measure she stomped on its head, crushing it.

"_Then go, and you won't have to face either of those fates. You will become a greater being, just as every human wants. You are a selfish species, Shepard. Just give in."_

Another Banshee warped in. She made quick work of it. "You're losing your touch, Harbinger. One second you're talking about how we're an inferior species, and now you're telling me how we can become something greater. Make up your mind, please."

"_I'm not lying, Shepard. You humans are inferior. But of this cycle's species you are the species with the most potential." _His voice became quiet, soothing. _"Listen to me, Shepard. Why would you turn down this opportunity? It is the best possible one for humanity. Otherwise you'd wipe yourselves out in some nuclear war."_

Her implants shuddered, and she gripped her stomach. "We'd rather die in war than die as slaves. That's the human way, Harbinger." The entire ship rattled in fury. "I'm near the kill switch, aren't I? That's why you're getting desperate."

This time a Brute flung itself from the walls, roaring. She swore, quickly leaping out of the way before crying out in pain. She wouldn't be able to take this for much longer. She whipped out her assault rifle, strafing behind it as it charged forward. The hallway was too narrow to maneuver much. She leaped onto the Brute's head, ramming her omniblade into its head.

"_You will not win, Shepard."_ She pulled the blade out before moving into the final room. There were four red spots, glowing brightly. In the middle was a massive orb that pulsed with red energy. It was covered by four massive pieces of clear material, each connected by an arm to each of the lights.

She drew her pistol, firing experimentally at the top left light. Harbinger let out a cry of frustration. A husk grabbed at her shoulder from behind, and she yelled, slamming herself backwards into the wall behind her. Keeping her back to the wall she fired at the lights.

"_SHEPARD, STOP THIS NOW!"_ His voice was a piercing cry. She winced, but did not stop. Husks poured from the floors and walls, running at her. The top left light shattered, and the clear barrier moved away. Three more lights to go. She cleared out the wave of husks.

"What, Harbinger, not thinking about how humans are such insects now, huh?" She grinned. A husk got too close, scratching her face as she gutted him with her blade. Her nose began to bleed.

"_YOU ARE UNDOING BILLIONS OF YEARS OF ORDER, SHEPARD. YOUR ACTIONS ARE RASH." _She shot at the next light. Cannibals roared, charging at her. She took care of them quickly, grimacing as they shot at her. Her shields fell as she finished off the last one. The second barrier rose.

"No, they're not. Order is not how the universe is supposed to work, anyway. We're supposed to make our own destinies." Shepard took a shot at the third light. The Reaper cried out.

"_CHAOS IS DANGER, SHEPARD. YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND. THIS IS ABOVE YOU." _More husks. She took them out easily. She let out a pained sob as her wounds began to reopen and her implants burned. The third barrier rose.

"No, Harbinger. It's not. It's not above me at all. I don't think you're as smart as you think you are." She fired at the final light, dropping her pistol as it ran out of thermal clips. She grabbed her assault rifle, gritting her teeth before firing into the crowd of approaching Banshees. They clawed at her, screaming. She wiped them out with another sob as the final barrier rose.

"_Why… Shepard? You don't understand…" _ She spat blood onto the floor.

"We're done here, Harbinger."

She took her final shot at the energy orb, and the world flooded with red light.

** T**

_The red energy, like the original beam that the Crucible shot out, spread through the galaxy. As it touched every Reaper they shut down. The smaller Destroyers and the various species of husk were disintegrated on contact. The dreadnaughts fell to whatever planet they were on, or just remained floating dead in space. _

_Before the Normandy crew's eyes Harbinger crashed to Earth, taking a large part of London with him. The final effects of the Crucible wore away, and the geth and other Artificial Intelligences rose from their immobilization. The quarians also were no longer prisoners of their implants, and their pain faded near immediately._

_The Victory Fleet disbanded shortly after they were sure all the Reapers were dead. Each species departed to their home planet, and reconstruction began immediately._

_The Normandy crew stayed behind on Earth to search for Shepard. She was found in the remains of Harbinger, miraculously uncrushed or maimed by the metal around her. Alive, but barely, Shepard was taken to the nearest hospital, where she remained in intensive care for three months._

_When she finally woke from her coma, she was given a hero's welcome, though some believed her to be the cause of all the chaos. They wanted to know why she didn't save their family, why she focused on others instead of them. The gratitude outweighed the blame, however, and she was selected as a candidate for human Councilor._

_The rest of the Normandy's former and current crews departed for their home planets, except for Tali and Garrus. The quarian and turian remained on Earth as ambassadors for their people, and were eventually moved onto the Citadel once repairs were far enough along._

_The Citadel, after sitting for three years over London, was finally moved back to its place in the Widow system. It became a safe haven for all species, organic or not. _

_Peace cannot last forever, however, and it would not be long until another conflict broke out. For now, however, the galaxy enjoyed a quiet period, nearly free of conflict and strife._

**A/N: I wanted to write how I wish the ending would have gone, except using the Crucible, Starkid, etc. I notice that a lot of people write them out, and I felt like including them in some form. The epilogue can change depending on choices in the game, and I cut out a lot of parts that I had planned on including. For example, if you helped Wrex with curing the Genophage you get a peaceful ending, while Wreav begins trying to lead his people to war while the galaxy is down. **

**Shepard would also die if the war assets weren't high enough, due to a lack of sufficient medical supplies.**

**That being said, this was written at two in the morning, so I apologize for any typos or nonsensical parts.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review or comment if you have constructive criticism.**


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